It was on that date that U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered what was later dubbed his Atoms For Peace speech to the United Nations General Assembly.
Eisenhower used the occasion to sell a wary world on the positives of nuclear power and to spell out a visionary plan to use it "to provide abundant electrical energy in the power-starved areas of the world."
Under the plan, Eisenhower said the United States would provide the necessary technology and expertise to nations eager to create civilian nuclear programs.
To make sure nuclear materials were not diverted to making weapons, Eisenhower proposed establishing a watchdog within the UN. That watchdog would later become the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Classic political deflection.